ORCHARD PARK — Just after Josh Allen tried to force a third-and-long pass to Mack Hollins downfield, a smattering of boos swirled around Highmark Stadium.
For the second consecutive third down, Allen bypassed an open receiver crossing the middle of the field — and an opening running lane — for a more difficult option, and it fell incomplete. The Buffalo Bills started the game with three consecutive three-and-outs, with incomplete passes on third down on all of them.
There was another round of light boos as the Bills jogged to the locker room at halftime, trailing the 1-4 Tennessee Titans, 10-7. The Bills were out-planned and Allen was out-played by Mason Rudolph.
Yes, Mason Rudolph.
The Titans backup who couldn’t beat out Allen’s current backup Mitchell Trubisky in Pittsburgh last year and didn’t offer enough to permanently overtake injured Tennessee starter Will Levis, who ranks 30th in the NFL in passing yards. Rudolph threw for 155 yards — 90 more than Allen — in the first half as the Bills fell behind by double-digits for the third time in four weeks and fourth time this season.
And then, in the second half, something seemed to click. Allen was getting easy throws and receivers were getting open, and after having just four completions in the first half, he only had five incompletions in the second half against the NFL’s No. 1 defense.
Against a defense that allowed 200 yards passing just once this year, Allen threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns — his first 300-yard game this season — in a 34-10 win, but more importantly, the Bills offered a glimpse at what “Everybody Eats” is supposed to look like. Four players surpassed 50 yards receiving and it was the correct four players.
“Making key adjustments, knowing our players, as well, and what they do best,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “Usually when you’re giving them what they do best, they’re able to execute and show who they really are.”
Newly-acquired receiver Amari Cooper revealed after the game that the plan was for the Bills to play him against the Titans from the moment they traded for him Tuesday. McDermott no-sold it all week and did so well enough to to think it was actually a possibility.
And based on how the first half went, there was reason to balk at the idea he was going to be an effective weapon. Not only did Cooper drop — he leads the league with 10 — his first pass on a third and 1, but he didn’t play very much, especially in situations he was expected to provide help.
On a few third-down plays, Cooper wasn’t even on the field, and on some of those plays, neither was tight end Dalton Kincaid. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady has shown little interest in dialing up player-specific plays to anyone other than running back James Cook and it appeared Cooper was going to be no different.
While the Titans got Rudolph into a groove with play-action passes and bootlegs — high-percentage throws — the Bills’ passing game looked like a mess. A key fourth-down stop to open the third quarter proved to be the turning point.
Allen hit rookie Keon Coleman on a 14-yard gain to start the drive and the Bills were off. Cooper eventually capped the drive by a 12-yard touchdown catch.
The Bills had a similar scenario against the New York Jets Monday, but Hollins couldn’t separate from his defender. Cooper had little problem dispatching safety Quandre Diggs.
And the Bills started playing Cooper more, going to the plays he spent all week working with offensive quality control coach D.J. Mangas on. Cooper had a 19-yard catch that led to a field goal on the next drive and a 27-yard catch to open the drive after that, which eventually ended with a 4-yard touchdown catch by running back Ty Johnson.
Cooper finished with four catches for 66 yards, helping open an offense that was floundering and desperate for an identity.
“The plays that were for me, I was 100% comfortable with because I went over them a lot,” said Cooper, who played about 18 snaps in the game. “It was just another day at the office at the wide receiver position.”
More important than Cooper’s individual production was what it opened up around him. Rookie Keon Coleman had a 44-yard catch that led to an 11-yard Cook touchdown run and then had a 57-yard catch in the fourth quarter, breaking the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career, hauling in four passes for 125 yards.
Four players surpassed 50 yards receiving for the Bills and everyone had their moment. Kincaid had a pair of third-down catches that set up touchdowns two plays later, while Khalil Shakir, who is still working through a high ankle sprain, had five catches for 50 yards on a drive that ended with a game-sealing field goal to go up 27-10.
When the Bills discuss “Everybody Eats,” that performance is what it should look like. It should be a carousel between Coleman, Cooper, Kincaid and Shakir, where they all get 50 and one of them goes for 100.
While it’s a nice idea to just find any open receiver and exploit matchups, the best teams use their best players to do it. On Sunday, Buffalo’s top players were better than Tennessee’s.
“Any time you have a player of his caliber, he demands extra attention,” Allen said. “If you don’t, we’re probably going to throw him the ball. But again, our guys did a good job of getting open, making plays.”